“What’s happening, why did we stop?”

An old man asked, his voice filled with concern while one of the younger men replied, fear evident in his voice.

“Elders, we are being attacked!”

“Attacked? Preposterous, who would be stupid enough to…”

The old man started to say, but his words were cut off by a massive burst of spiritual energy that filled the entire area. The five nascent soul elders were inside a large cabin within their ship, a vessel built to hold a large number of people. They were accompanied by over a hundred core formation experts, forming the crew. And now, they were under attack.

“It must be those United Element Sect bastards! Quick, call the general, we must inform the Azure Emperor!”

The old man exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency. Yet, the younger core formation expert that he was shouting at hesitated, his voice trembling.

“About that…”

“What is it? Speak up, junior…”

The old man demanded, his tone impatient.

“Elder… we can’t reach the main fleet or any of the other clan ships. Somehow, they have cut us off!”

The core formation expert's voice trembled as he spoke. The spiritual energy being exuded by the attackers was tremendous, to the point where he could barely stay conscious. Even the five nascent soul masters present could only partially block this surge of energy, causing panic to spread among the group.

“They cut us off? How is that possible? Quickly, use your treasures. They should work!”

The old man instructed, his voice filled with desperation. There were various ways to forward information in times of crisis. Many items existed that, when broken, would signal that something had gone wrong. However, as the men activated their talismans and trinkets, they realized that something was amiss. Nothing was working; some greater power had rendered their tools useless.

“This is not good. Prepare for battle!”

With no other options, they rang the alarm and armed themselves. Four of the masters were at the late stage of their nascent soul realm, while the strongest was at the great circle realm. They were individuals who could dominate the empire if they so wished, and they were convinced that victory was still possible.

“Only this much? Hey, can I have them all? I don’t think they will last much longer…”

A voice from above appeared and sneered. The masters glanced up to see a man covered in flames with two other individuals not far behind.

“No, just take care of it. We can’t risk it. There isn’t much time, and eventually someone will discover that something went wrong if it continues for too long,”

Another voice replied this one filled with caution but also strength.

“Ahh, that’s a shame… but if Senior Brother thinks so, then…”

The flaming man’s voice trailed off, his disappointment evident. As they stepped outside, they were met with a grim sight. Most of their core formation experts lay on the ground, defeated. Despite their ability to combine into formations that could affect nascent soul masters, they hadn't been able to even access this power before succumbing to the spiritual aura attack.

“Isn’t that the Golden Dragon himself? He doesn’t look injured at all,”

The strongest of the masters called out, his gaze fixed on the white-haired man. Their entire ship was surrounded by a barrier of spiritual energy, trapping them within. This shield was likely the cause of their current predicament. Even the strongest master's spiritual sense couldn't pierce through it. They were completely trapped.

"Show no fear, for it is unbecoming of the esteemed Long Clan! They have been trapped in the formation for long enough, surely they must be weary. That feeble excuse for a leader is likely wounded from his battle with the glorious Emperor. Our victory is assured, just follow my lead!"

The strongest of the Long Clan elders shouted out while producing a giant blue steed made of fire. It was his soul beast which he used as a means of transportation. The horse made from fire energies stood proudly as it charged with its master who was holding a large glave in his right hand. Soon the other four masters plunged themselves forward but they would be in for a rude awakening.

Their leader shot out like an arrow in the direction of the large red-haired man who was also covered in flames. He was floating right before the man called the Golden Dragon who was also the source of this blocking barrier. The elder’s goal was to use up all of his spiritual energy in one go. Something like this would drain him but give him a tremendous boost to his power.

If he was able to take care of these two that were the strongest in the group, then his side could stand a chance. If not, then it was enough to at least wound the one producing the barrier so that they could call for reinforcement. However, he made a grave error in expecting that his opponents were just regular nascent soul masters at the great circle level. As he slashed with his glave forward and expected to cut some flesh, he found himself stopping instead.

"What is this? Is this some kind of joke? Is this truly the best you can do?"

The flaming man didn’t actually react to the glave hit. Instead, he stood there with his chest out proudly and took the hit instead. The elder from the Long Clan thought that the younger man was just being foolhardy, clearly someone that wasn’t too bright,. Yet, his heavenly weapon could not pierce his body. It only went in a few centimeters while producing cracks at the edge due to the sheer speed his steed could produce.

"How... How can this be? How are you still standing?"

Terror etched itself onto the elder's face. His plan to incapacitate or bypass this man and reach the true enemy behind him had been swiftly foiled. The vast power disparity became glaringly apparent. In his seven-hundred-year existence, he had never suffered such a defeat. He was utterly helpless, and his enemy wasted no time in demonstrating that.

"Well, my Senior Brother wanted me to be quick, so I apologize, but you won't be leaving here in one piece..."

A colossal fist hurtled towards the elder's face. Had he not depleted most of his spiritual energy in his previous attack, perhaps he might have had a chance to evade. But it was too late. His face shattered instantly, showering the battlefield in a crimson rain as his body recoiled from the devastating blow. The four elders that were behind him were shocked by this turn of events. Yet, they weren’t given a chance to think about their tactic as another enemy appeared, this one in the form of a beautiful woman.

With a swift motion of her battle fan, she unleashed a tempest of green wind energy, manifesting thousands of razor-sharp blades. These ethereal blades effortlessly sliced through their opponents' spiritual shields and refined bodies. Despite their adversary being only a small realm above them, the disparity felt much greater. They found themselves utterly defenseless, unable to conceive of any countermeasure as their bodies succumbed to the relentless assault.

The five masters crashed onto the deck of the flying ship that had transported them to this battlefield. Their physical forms lay broken, but their spirits remained unbroken. Even in the face of certain defeat, the possibility of escape lingered. They swiftly made the decision to abandon their mortal shells and ascend into nascent divinity, each dispersing in a different direction, hoping to elude their pursuers.

“Quickly we must escape, this shield can’t hold our nascent divinities, inform the clan, we must inform the Emper… Aghh…”

A piercing scream erupted from the nascent soul master as a blade of water cleaved through his ethereal form, splitting it in two. It defied all logic, for such an attack should have been impossible. Within moments, the air was filled with four more agonized cries as his companions met a swift and merciless demise. In the blink of an eye, the five masters had fallen, their lives extinguished by the silent presence of the enigmatic third man. His unassuming demeanor had fooled them all, concealing the true extent of his power until the opportune moment presented itself.

…

“Good job Zhi.”

"Secure the bracelets from all of them."

Zhang Dong commanded as he continued to focus on the barrier. In less than two minutes, they had successfully seized control of the ship and dispatched the five nascent soul masters who occupied it. While Zhang Dong would have preferred to spare their nascent divinities, it was a luxury he could no longer afford. Too many lives were at stake, and he knew his enemies would show no mercy if the tables were turned. The hundred or so nascent soul masters on the other hand didn’t pose much of a threat. They could be handled with more care.

Huo Qiang, lacking the same moral compass as Zhang Dong, produced a question while grinning.

"What should we do with these warriors? Shall I eliminate them?"

Huo Qiang and their two other companions had no qualms about obliterating their adversaries, reducing them to mere dust. However, Zhang Dong had a different perspective. Instead, he chose to render their dantians useless, leaving them as ordinary commoners for the remainder of their lives. While some might view this as a fate worse than death, Zhang Dong, coming from a more modern world with different values, saw it as a comparatively preferable option.

"No, let them be. Just strip away their cultivation. They will remain unconscious for a considerable time, they don’t pose a threat to us or the plan."

Zhang Dong asserted.

"We will transport them to a secluded location where they will be impossible to find."

"If that is your decision..."

Huo Qiang reluctantly complied, though he and the others believed this punishment to be worse than death. They meticulously collected the bracelets from each incapacitated warrior before severing their dantians. Soon, the entire group of a hundred men was assembled in the center of the ship. The first phase of their plan was complete; now they needed to assume the identities of the nascent soul masters and participate in the search. With a stroke of luck, they hoped to uncover vital secrets that would ensure an effortless victory in this confrontation.